Funding to Help Address Imbalances in Kansas
Healthcare Workforce
LENEXA,
Kan., Feb. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunflower
Health Plan ("Sunflower"), a managed care organization established
to deliver quality healthcare in the state of Kansas and a wholly owned subsidiary of
the Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), the Centene Foundation
and KU Endowment today announced a new partnership that includes a
$500,000 grant to the Kansas Nursing
Workforce Center to build a centralized data collection and
exchange system.
The project is one part of Sunflower's strategy to help address
shortages in healthcare workforce staff across multiple specialties
within Kansas, but especially in
rural areas where services can be difficult to access.
"Nurses play an integral role in healthcare delivery and the
overall health outcomes of Kansans," said Alissa Zerr, DNP, MPH, RN, CENP, Sunflower
Health Plan vice president of population health. "Sunflower Health
Plan is honored to sponsor, participate in and support the Kansas
Nursing Workforce Center, and we believe its collaborative
intention and comprehensive plan will advance the healthcare
workforce across the state for decades to come."
The Kansas Nursing Workforce Center, based at the University of Kansas School of Nursing, will
leverage the data warehouse to address systemic challenges in nurse
recruitment, retention and student access to nursing programs. This
initiative seeks to modernize information gathering to enable
researchers to pose more insightful questions. The collected data
will then be used to create dashboards and reports for enhanced
understanding and decision-making around developing the
Kansas nursing workforce.
Once built, the data warehouse will help the Kansas Nursing
Workforce Center to develop better models for projections of nurse
supply and demand and deliver long- and short-term projections. The
data will also answer questions about patient care and the value of
the nursing profession.
"The Kansas Nursing Workforce Center is grateful for the funding
that will allow us to create our data infrastructure," said Amy
Garcia, DNP, MSN, RN, FAAN, co-director of the Kansas Nursing
Workforce Center. "This gift enables us to build a central source
for nursing workforce information, something our stakeholders
requested during our statewide listening sessions. People asked us
to collect and analyze specific information to help them solve the
chronic supply and demand imbalance found in the Kansas nursing workforce, and this data
warehouse will make that possible."
As part of this effort, the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center will
collect and analyze:
- Nurse licensure data with a deep understanding of nurse
demographics and specialties.
- Labor data on nursing jobs and nurses in the workforce.
- Commerce data on pathways to nursing and healthcare in the
community.
- Population-level health outcomes data.
"We provide nursing services to severely injured and chronically
ill pediatric and adult patients in their homes, so I see the
amazing impact nurses make every day in Kansas," said Matt
Johnston, director of business operations at Maxim
Healthcare Services. "As the healthcare system evolves, it is
imperative to recognize our current frontline nurses while also
investing in future nurses who will take care of the next
generation of Kansans."
About Sunflower Health Plan:
Sunflower Health Plan
("Sunflower") is a managed care organization established to deliver
quality healthcare in the state of Kansas through local, regional and
community-based resources, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the
Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC). Sunflower is committed to
improving the health of its beneficiaries through focused,
compassionate, and coordinated care in an approach based on the
core belief that quality healthcare is best delivered locally. For
more information, please visit Sunflower's website.
About the Centene Foundation:
The Centene Foundation ("the Foundation"), a private nonprofit
focused on investing in economically challenged communities, is the
philanthropic arm of Centene Corporation. The Foundation
supports projects and initiatives strategically aligned with
Centene's mission-driven culture and enhances the work Centene is
doing to remove the barriers to wellness underserved and low-income
populations face. The Foundation is committed to addressing social
determinants of health and improving health equity in three
distinct areas of focus: healthcare access, social services and
education. To learn more, visit the Centene
Foundation's website.
About the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center:
The Kansas
Nursing Workforce Center, based at the University of Kansas School of Nursing, ensures
Kansans have access to nurses when and where they need them. It
will support nurses both individually and as part of the health
care team. The Kansas Nursing Workforce Center will use science and
evidence-based practices to examine nursing workforce information,
provide solutions, and generate new knowledge to support nurses. It
also will represent the state of Kansas as a member of the National Forum of
State Nursing Workforce Centers. To learn more, visit the Kansas
Nursing Workforce Center's website.
About the University of Kansas
School of Nursing:
The KU School of Nursing, designated a
Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League
for Nursing (NLN), prepares hundreds of students each year for
successful nursing careers as clinical nurses, advanced practice
nurses, educators, leaders, administrators, scholars and
researchers. Its award-winning programs are offered at campuses in
Kansas City, Kansas, and
Salina, Kansas, as well as
online.
About KU Endowment:
KU Endowment is the independent,
nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and
fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment
was the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public
university.
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SOURCE Sunflower Health Plan